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Ahoy there one and all!
6/17/14 The Rock fishing
this year has been great overall. Our last trip on Saturday we had full
boat limits of rock fish and 9 Ling cod and 2 cabizone and 1 22lb.
halibut. The Halibut was a big surprise for everyone! The lings have
been on the munch and quite a few rock fish are coming up full of there
teeth marks. We did a lot of exploring on Saturday as the weather
started off allowing us to scout. But, in the end we hit that magical
rock where the fish wanted to bite the bottom of the boat! We had to
pull off the fish to count and make sure we did not go over limits.
4/31/13 What an amazing salmon season! We have had limits of salmon everyday for the past week. Just as today, the weather really was turning crappy and I thought it was going to be a long day on the water. Well when we put the lines in the fish started to bite everything! Again we had no gear in the water because everything got bit. everyone either had a fish flopping on the deck or in the nets! IT DID NOT STOP!!!! we had 18 limits of salmon by 10:30 in the morning. I think we fished for all of 1 and a half hours. Let me tell you Lee my crew and I were working so hard and fast to guide the customers, net there fish, tag them and help get the gear back in the water it was truly a feat to have witnessed! One customer said that it was amazing to see how well we both worked together dancing around the decks. Try dancing on a rolling deck that's covered in fish and tangled lines! When we got back to the ,and Lee and I could finally talk, I had to complement him on "our performance"!! Just when I thought it could not get IT DOES!!
We look forward to seeing you aboard the RIPTIDE for your ocean adventure! Captain Smitty
4/22/13 Ahoy there one and all! The 2013 salmon season is off to a rip roaring start! Sunday we had 15 passengers and look to be a blustery day. Heading out the harbor was so beautiful along the beach watching the sun rise. So full of promise and prospects of a great adventure on the high seas. Upon hearing of a boat catching some fish further north-west from where I had last been out on the water I headed in that direction for 12 miles with the wind and seas building the further off shore we got. I stopped on an area that had some good signs of bait thinking it would be a good start to our day. But after fishing there for about 45 minutes with not even a scratched bait I heard some boats further up the line so heading right into the seas we ran up. There were several boats in that area and when stopping the boat we could see the other boats swinging nets catching fish. Well after watching them for 45 minutes and not even one scratched bait i was ready to pull out my hair !So I decided I had to go and find my own fish bite! After all there had to be more fish in the ocean than that one little spot. When picking up the lines we hooked 2 fish and lost both of them. Tempting me to stay. But being the person I am I kicked the boat up to full speed vowing that I was either going to be a hero or a bum in going prospecting. Also running down with the wind and seas gave everyone a break from the increasing weather. After 4 or 5 miles traveling I started to see some good signs of life and decided to stop. Getting all the gear back in the water everyone figured it was just going to be more of the same. Then all hell broke loose! EVERY ROD ON THE BOAT WENT OFF WITH A FISH BITE!!! We lost a couple of them in the complete pandemonium. With me out on deck working with crewmen Lee we were directing people to keep their lines untangled and netting the fish 2 at a time!! The fish were just wild lines crossing and trying to keep people moving around to keep the lines from getting more tangled than they were was a real challenge! Losing some in them but double scooping the ones that were close to the boat. Whew! We had no gear left in the water as I said every rod on the boat went off! So trying to get the gear back I was putting a customers rod back in the water and the rod went off in my hands with another great wild fish. Handing it back to the customer lee and with the help of long time customers helping the beginners get there gear back in we were in a full blown fish attack! Again trying to keep the fish and passengers organized as best we could in the total anarchy of the situation. Fish coming up in tangles and double scooping them. Lifting them over the rail and trying to deal with the mess I got a hook imbedded in my thumb up to the bend! OUCH!!!!!! Thank god for barbless hooks! So now not only was there fish blood all over the decks, but mine as well! Grabbing a role of black electrical tape and wrapping it around my thumb I plunged back in to the pandemonium. After that flurry of action we got all the rods back into the water. Well not for long. BANG they all went off again and now everyone was laughing or concentrating on listening to Lee and I to get there wild fish up to the boat. God what an incredible seen. I was telling the people to go up forward and put there rods in and when hooked up to come back and join the party!!!! One of the things I love so much about my boat the RIPTIDE is that I have the stern steering station so I can be out on deck running the boat, making bait, directing traffic on deck, netting fish and helping to get the rods back in the water. A unique feature of the RIPTIDE!! So when we had a chance to try and get a fish count (no gear in the water), we only needed 1 more fish for 15 limits of salmon. So a couple of people quickly put their gear back in the water to see if they could be the first to get that devil fish. CHEESE AND CRACKERS! All 3 rods went off! Well lee ended up scooping one and I got the other one and the last was a little shaker that I was teasing the women who caught it for molesting a baby! Had everyone roaring with laughter and cheering.. All I can say for that hour of fishing was fast and furious! Thank god we were dome as both Lee and myself were exhausted from all that and banging into the rails from the boat rolling around adding the dimension of dancing on a rolling deck. Time to head back in and give everyone, (well except for Deck hand Lee) a brake. Lee still had all those fish to clean! So when finally back in the harbor and the last customer was going over the rail Lee and I were grinning from ear to ear as well as all the customers walking up the dock with some mighty fine salmon. But so were all the customers! What a great start to the 2013 season! Come and get yours! Smitty
6/21/12 Ahoy there one and all, Then we went basically back to where we started and the fish sure turned on! Man did they! In around an hour we boxed 10 fish and all but one was over 12 lbs. With Ken catching a 24lb fish! It is not often now a days that Ken can get out since he is so busy with collage and building a life with his wife. But on this day he made it out and he also treated his dad t a fishing trip. Kind of a fathers day, Payback present for being an all around good guy (dont tell him). So I think it was the karma universe getting Ken hooked into that pig of a salmon! Sure was good to see him with a grin through his beard. I remember him when there was not a hint of any peach fuzz!! He learned his lessons well and ended up catching 4 keepers! What a great day to be on the water and seeing such nice fish was an added bonus that made the day special for everyone on board! Till Next time! Captain Smitty
Tim & Ken Ken & 24 lb salmon 2/28/2012 Fishing report Have you heard about this one?! The Fish& Game President, Dan Richards, went hunting in Idaho recently and legally shot a cougar. Now extremists in California are pressuring to have Richards removed from office. Why? What Richards did was completely legal in Idaho where he was hunting, but the extremists are saying that because it is not legal to hunt cougar in California he should be removed from his position. The truth is that they feel Richards is a thorn in their sides so they want to get rid of him, and they think this is their chance. Don't let it happen! Richards has done an excellent job and deserves our support. In about the same time as it took to read this, all you have to do is to fill out a quick form on the "Keep America Fishing" website at: http://keepamericafishing.salsalabs.com/o/6394/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4066. Pass this along to as many people as you can. You can make a difference.
7/18/11 Ahoy there one and all! July is turning out to be one hot
time for fishing! We have been catching limits of Rock fish almost every
day. And the other days we have been catching some really great salmon!
The salmon has really turned on with all the krill on the outside. Today
I had to dodge both Humpback and Blue whales while trolling for the
salmon. Watching them lung feeding on the krill was quite a site! We
kept getting distracted by salmon biting the hooks and that was a really
good thing! We were getting multiple hookups and there were some silvers
mixed in which we cant keep. Even My regulars who were on board today
(Wes and Terry) were helping out with all the pandemonium! We were
flying through the baits and enjoying a good story or among us. Fish Report 6-26-11 Ahoy there one and all! This Sunday was a Rock fishing trip with a full load of customers (20). We headed down south to fish off of Pescadreo which is one of my favorite spots to go. The weather was good, in that there really was not a big swell and the wind was light to start the day. Our start was off and running with some really nice blacks coming over the rail. We had a 13 year old first timer named Scott on board for his first ever Rock fishing trip. He was fishing just outside of the wheelhouse door so I could keep an eye on him as he started. Well let me tell you he was off to a roaring start with his shrimp fly’s! Fly s an appropriate term for him as he had just barely got his weight and hooks to the bottom and was solidly hooked up. Watching his eyes grow bigger when his rod was thumping hard with the fish, I told him to reel them in! When he got them up to the surface I helped him lift over the rail a pair of nice Black rock fish! He was looking at me with a grin that would tell the world he was hooked! Knowing that he was so excited and watching him drop his gear back down and get bit again and again I knew he was hooked on fishing!! Like I said fly’s were the right word for him! As he had the fish flying over the rail all day and easily out fished everyone on the boat! He came with Ray and Peg for the days fishing adventure and easily caught 3 times as the two of them! Boy he sure kept me busy all day helping him and encouraging him to reel up when we passed over school fish up off the bottom. Scott also caught one of the biggest Black rock fish I have seen in years. With his drag backed off a bit the fish was giving him a reel tussle and gosh he played it like an old sea dog! Letting the fish calm down a bit when it wanted to fight and work it up when he could get some line on it! There are not many times when I will gaff a black rock fish but I was standing by as I did not know what he was fighting till the fish got to the surface. Sticking him with the gaff was a great pleasure for me to hoist this whopper over the rail for him. I just laughed when he sat down and gave out a big sigh after such a great tussle with a great fish. But, not for long as he was baiting up his fly’s and getting back into the water to do it all over again. Everyone else was enjoying a good day on the water and having fun catching there fish as well. Since the weather was relatively good we were working in the shallows. We had one of our regulars on board who hooked into a bog cabezone and when I gaffed it for him as crewmen Zack was working with another customer I gaffed this Grand Cabbie for George his smile was every bit as big as Scotts was! I thought to myself” George was having as much fun as Scott was! All in all, it was a very satisfying day for all on board and everyone went home with nice limits of delicious rock fish to enjoy!
Captain Smitty 1/23/2011
What an incredible weekend for whale watching! Sunday we ran
2 trips and saw whales on both. The afternoon trip we actually got into a
pod of Gray Whales that must have been between 15 to 20 animals! Everyone
was pointing in different directions. So instead of trying to follow a group
i just took the boat out of gear and let them swim by! The weather was one
of those idyllic kind of days with no breeze and sunny!
8/3/9 Saturday Ahoy there one and all! Ahh Summertime! A time of good weather, good times and good fishing! This was a great weekend of local fishing for the RIPTIDE! Saturday was a full boat of eager people in the morning. Everyone was anxious to leave the dock and head out into the briny ocean. It was a morning full of promise, and meeting new fellow fisherman. After boarding everyone and going through the normal morning safety speech, first mate Zach and second Captain Mike helped the beginners get set up and gave them many pointers on how to best �catch rock fish, not rocks�. Heading down south along the coast on a calm day is always very enjoyable for me as well as for others who enjoy the beautiful scenery of the San Mateo coast. We passed the Ritz Carlton Hotel and then on down past the Marconi Long wave radio towers which, is where the United States first heard of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Past the great little enclave beach of Martins and further down to San Gregorio and finally arriving at our destination. Slowing down everyone was just about ready to drop in. Setting up for the first drift is always a bit chaotic. Where beginners learn about using there thumbs to control line and the crew helping everyone who needs it. Helping a customer next to me I hear the sound of surprise as the first fish over the rail was a nice big fat Cabazon! As typical of many days the first drift was one of the best for the day. While the beginners were struggling a bit, others who had some experience were doing quite well. Ah, but things change� There was really not much drift to speak of and when I set up again the boat was drifting a different way, much to my chagrin. We spent the rest of the day catching some fish from every drift but it was not wide open, but a nice steady bight. When we headed home at 1:30 with full sacks everyone lined up for Zack to perform with his trusty fillet knife. Sunday After the same kind of start to the day we continued to have a good steady action of catching rock fish with some great Cabazon fishing. Then the lings woke up��.. Holy smokes, boy did they wake up! We hooked some monsters. We were busy trying to keep up with gaffing these denizens of the deep. Some were on the plastic swim bates, some were on the diamond jigs and some had attached themselves to rock fish firmly bighting and not wanting to let go of a would-be meal. Ling cod are like the captain, very stubborn when it comes to giving up a meal!! There was a customer on the bow of the boat using a diamond jig and was having the trip of a lifetime! Every few minutes he was Turing to me and saying �Excuse me captain can you gaff ANOTHER LING COD for me??? He was on fire!! Man, it seemed like every cast he was catching something. He had the bow of the boat covered in fish slime and well you know what comes out the other end. His buddy was fishing the exact same way and was doing well to but not catching the lings like him. Then I hear Mike come up from the back of the boat and tell me that the 8 year old kid who was fishing with his dad had just landed a 20 lb ling cod! The fish was darn near as long as the kid was tall!!! So the day was running long and we knew we were at limits, we hauled up the tackle and the crew started the count as we have to do everyday for the fish and game. When Capt. Mike came up and handed me the list he was not only smiling but covered in fish scales and gave me the score. I was surprised too! We had 16 ling cod to 20 lbs and 13 Cabazon to 12 lbs and 19 limits of some of the best tasting rock fish you could ever want! I was ran back home slow, so the crew could get all the fish cleaned for everyone, knowing that this was one heck of a great day of fishing. I know by the grins and hearty handshakes that I will see these folks again on the RIPTIDE for their next ocean adventure!
5/1/9 Ahoy there one and all!! There had been all kinds of worries
about the weather for Fridays opener of Rock fishing below Pigeon point
this week. After all, the regular customers on board really wanted to give it a go. They, as much as myself, really were looking forward to getting out on the ocean and wetting a line (and loosing a jig or 3). Leaving the dock the weather was flat calm! We were able to run full speed all the way to Pigeon point. There was much bantering joking and sharing of previous stories aboard the RIPTIDE. From Steve�s Bachelor party 7 years ago to the talk of the new hatches I made for the boat this off season. Not to mention Javier�s insistent asking if we were there yet (he asked before we even cleared the harbor breakwater)!! Gosh when it was time to stop, the sun was out and the first 2 drifts were in different directions. Well the second drift went 3 different ways and sure made my job of keeping on the spot difficult! So I gave up on that rock and moved on! We kept hitting little spots and working over the area. We had a slow pick of catching fish but it was pretty consistent as my guys were persistent at working the bottom. Sometimes a little too close and snagging it. Which kept deck hand Zack, busy running around shaking hooks out of the rocks, which he has developed into a fine art form! We were catching mostly good bottom fish and not to many school fish. There were some great Cabazon�s being caught along with some undersize ones which were promptly released with tender loving care. I tell them (the released fish) that I hope to see them again! Ross who was fishing up on the bow was having a good day of loosing tackle (but then so was everyone). He managed a nice Cabazon and also a nice ling cod (the first on the boat for the New Year!!!)Then Watching Louis land a nice big brown rock fish and his partner Mike hooked his first ling! He has been diligently trying and the hard work paid off with a nice keeper!All the while hearing Ted and others keep shouting purple (the color of choice by the fish that day). The wind was picking up and we were getting occasional rain showers which kept everyones rain gear handy for quick donning. When it finally came time to head back to the harbor it was blowing about 12 knots and everyone was tired and ready to head in. Well everyone except for Ross, Javier and Ted who will sleep with their fishing rods!! So the total for the day was:81 rock fish, 5 sea trout,6 lings,6 Cabazon and a rock sole!! When we finally got back to the dock it was raining steadily. But no one cared as they all were busy shaking hands slapping each other on the backs and thinking about their full sacks! With the regulars telling me to put there names back down for the 2nd opener in June! Now it was time for me to take my 4 fillets home and cook them up for a well earned and long time coming meal of some of the best eating you can imagine!! Of course there was also a toast before diving into those fillets! Holding up my Scotch and toasting some of the best people I know! Thank you my �fellow Fishing Friends�!! Captain Smitty
7/16/8 We are defiantly into our summer season and the rock fishing has been steadily improving. As an example, Wednesday we had 15 limits of Rock fish with some nice vermilions, Brownies and great olives and blacks mixed in to fill the sacks. The Ling cod were also cooperating quite nicely. There was one customer on the bow who had his own rod doubled over looking like a pretzel working up a fish so I grabbed the gaff and stood by awaiting the arrival of some denizen of the deep to emerge. Man, Let me tell you it was a good thing he had his drag backed down and worked the line expertly when the fish wanted to make several of its mad dashes back towards the bottom. Working his rod around the bow to be on the port side as there was a bit of a drift which was working to our advantage for fishing. Well after watching Jim working the fish and wondering who was going to win this battle when I saw emerging from the deep not one ling but 2 nice lings coming up! So, I had to decide which I was going to gaff. All the while screaming for Zack, who was busy in the back with the other customers, which were having a great day as well. When he realized it was me he grabbed a gaff and came up to get the second ling. Fortunately they both were hooked good and were tired from the struggle with Jim and his rod to get to the surface. Not only were the two lings tired but Jim was pooped and had to sit down and admire the pair of 10 pound lings laying at his feet as Zack and I had to chase down a couple of more around the boat.
My Friend Peg from Wisconsin is out for her annual fishing trip with me. This women was not about to be out done. So, She hooks a toad as well!! Peg has been fishing with me for 35 years and has that innate ability to always figure out some way to out fish everyone! So, here she is also having one of those epic battles with the fish making some nice runs and working the fish up. Peg�s ling is emerging as a hitchhiker holding onto a nice 12 inch black rock fish tenaciously. Well of course I was standing there, ribbing her about who�s but was getting kicked with the gaff. Sticking the fish and popping him over the rail she knew she had done it once again. Putting everyone in the sack with her catching the whopper of the day!
Looks like the summer is shaping up nicely for a great season of fishing for everyone! Grab your rod and lunch and give Smitty a call to get in on some of the fun! Thanks! Smitty
Ahoy there one
and all, Now if we can just move into our summer weather! Thanks
April 25, 2006
8/9/05 Ahoy there one and all!!!
I know I have not been reel (or is it �real�?) attentive to my fishing reports, but I attribute much of that to the fact that this summer�s fishing has really been fantastic and I have been running all over the decks with Deckhand Zack �Gaffing and Bashing Fish� left and right -- from having wide open rock fishing with ling cod chasing everything swimming and latching on piggyback-style to the rock fish to having free-swimmers following other lings that are holding onto other fish. Onward to salmon fishing and catching 30 pounders which have been putting a hurt on customers, to hitting pockets of shakers and having to work through smaller fish and then finding those little pockets of big ones where the rods bend over double with another throbbing rod, knowing that on the end is another fish of a lifetime for someone. Add to that having to dodge the whales because they are also feeding on the abundantly rich schools of bait everywhere and I do mean everywhere!!
Seems as if the whole ocean is alive with life!!!
Now don�t let me white wash this and make you think that every day is a wide open fishing bite!! Well maybe every other day!!!!
This is the time of the year that I dream of with the fog laying down on the water and flat calm seas. Knowing that it should be a great day for one and all with the hopes of not too many falling prey to the old sea sickness! I think today we did not have one person down with the old dreaded �mal de mar.� The ocean was so calm today the boat was spinning in circles and drifting every which way making my job harder and harder to try and figure out which way would be best to drift for rock fish. Ahh Shoot just set up on the tip of the rock and let it drift a different way each time which really does work out well because you hit a different area. What was that I heard?? Some one calling for the gaff again???? Oh no it was just Zack hollering �FISH ON�!!!!!
6/24/05
Ahoy there one and all!
6/18/05
4/18/05 8/9/04
Ahoy there one and all!
I know I have been remiss in writing my fish reports but
we are into the "dog days" of summer! With the opening of the ROCK
FISHING season and the TUNA showing up offshore it has been a busy time
aboard the RIPTIDE! So, I shall cover the past few days of fishing
starting with Saturday.
We had a tuna charter on Saturday which was booked back
in March! After running offshore to the area called the "guide" (almost
50 miles) we put the gear in the water and before we could get it all
set we had a triple header of tuna in the 10 to 20 lb class. I found a
temperature break and worked from the inside edge which was around 59
degrees out to where it jumped up to 61. Back and forth and we hooked
another 15 lb tuna. The weather God started to rear its ugly windy head.
The seas were sharp and the wind increased to 20 to 25 knots. Not the
most comfortable weather. Working out further offshore in hopes of
finding more productive grounds and not having sucess we turned back to
the break hitting it again although it had moved a mile or so. Due to
the weather conditions, we did find our last tuna before pulling in the
gear and heading back home with a totoal of 6 tuna for 5 guys.
Sunday started with great promise for our ROCK FISHING
charter! Almost everyone had their own rod and tackle (some darn fine
equipment)! We headed south in pea-soup fog which actually is a great
thing as far as I am concerned!!! The fog usually indicates that there
is not too much wind or sea and this was the case on Sunday! It also
allows me to hide from the other boats! We started at San G. and worked
over some high spots with virtually no drift. It seemed every time I
set-up the boat would drift a different direction. This was frustrating
for me, as I wanted to cover the whole rock but instead just had to
start on top and then let the boat drift off. This was still productive
and the fishing was a slow pick but steady. We covered many spots from
Pomponio on down to Pescadero - catching some nice fish on every stop.
We ended the day with 18 limits of nice rock fish 5 lings (yes the new
size is 30 inches!) and 4 cabezon.
Today (Monday) we went salmon fishing up off of Linda Mar
up to what is called the Great Divide (below Daly City). It was slow to
start as the tides were not rea favorable to start. By 9:30 and still
fishless I was seriously considering moving somewhere else. But where??
We started to hook some fish and by noon we were done with 9 limits of
salmon up to 18 lbs! So, I guess the term would be that I "pulled one
out of the hat!"
Who knows what is going to happen the rest of the
week? We do have space available for rock fishing on Thursday and also
on Sunday. Salmon is available all the rest of the days. So, get
yourself down to the boat and catch something!
Smitty
6/27/04
5/8/4 Ahoy there one and all! Well another weekend has come and gone. And what a wild, woolly wacky one it was! Saturday started out with another Private family style charter of 15 passengers. Family that were in town for a graduation and they wanted to all be together doing something fun! Well then they decided that good old Capt. Smitty could provide a day�s entertainment as well as maybe a fish or two. So after loading on some food and beer and then some more beer and lets not forget the bottle of Jack (think there was more than one). Departing in pea soup fog, with about 1/8 mile visibility. There were cups of coffee, yes spiked with something, I was not too sure what but refused ( you know the old drinking and driving rule, besides it was way too early for me). My morning speech, which everyone hears when we prepare to depart, I Fill everyone in on all the essentials and give everyone a heads up on what the prospects of the day should be. Well this week has been made up of not how fantastic the fishing is (which it is) it is how do we deal with the jellyfish. God I hate Jellyfish!!!! It has been a matter of finding a place where we can get through the stuff to get to the fish. Ok, running offshore and keeping an eye on the radar, I headed back to the same area we have been fishing and seeing tremendous signs of birds and huge pots of Krill (shrimp) and leaning over the rail and seeing those big long brown things in the water as well. Thinking I had found a clear spot I slow down so Zack the deckhand can put one line in to test the water to see if we can fish. Well, we did that 3 times before finally getting outside of the jelly. Ok as we get all the lines in the water and start to hook an occasional fish and still hook an occasional jelly. One of the other boats calls that he has wide open fishing about 3 miles further to the south! So, up come the lines (these people are getting pretty good at handling the gear)! Crossing a �RIPTIDE� and getting into darker water I can see there is no jellyfish! Ok back in goes the gear. Well we were trying to get the gear back in. FISH ON!!! Another one on the hook. Sheesh, we had three fish hanging and had just a couple of lines in the water. Well we got a couple of them but the partying and running was starting to take hold. We were having lots of toasting to the fish in the box! Toasting to the fish off the hooks, toasting to the future fish to be caught (or lost). We were going to have a full day of it today with people now getting the dropsy�s on the fish. But, what the heck everyone was having such a grand time! The bight slowed and was just an occasional fish for the rest of the day which suited everyone as it did not interfere with there drinking as much!! All told we ended up with 19 salmon for them for the day and they were ecstatic.
Now to Mothers day (Sunday). 5 am and there has been a BIG change in the weather. We have a group of friends (12) from Freznow who have never seen much less fished on the ocean and one of my good regular customers �Terry�. Rounding the buoys I was not running very fast as there was already a swell. Well, it did not get better. The swells were not so big but they were getting sharper (closer together). Still heading back out to the spot where we were in the morning as I had heard the jellyfish had gone down. Saying a prayer to the jellyfish gods to give us a brake we continued out. And having to slow down even more as the swells were getting sharper. I guess it is good practice to have everything on my dash board thrown to the floor after falling off of one or two of the waves. Good for cleaning. Throwing all the stuff into an empty weight box we get out to the fishing grounds. Birds Krill (shrimp) and no jellyfish! Putting the gear in the water and having instant fish!!!! Doubles, triples and busting off gear. Then I realize that there are only three people fishing as the rest are hanging over the rail. They were not going to fish as I tried to hand them there rods with fish on them. All I can say is thank god for boat limits!! Those three were having the times of there lives. Terry on the stern was sweating from hauling one right after the other! He put his rod in the water and tried to get to the cabin to fill his coffee cup. Well he mad it to the steps and Zack was hollering TERRY get back here!!!! We ended up with 13 limits of salmon by 9:30 (I think). When I said to reel them up I looked around and there was only Terry there trying to get his line back in the water. I walked over to him and I said lets go. He got this big grin on his face and said that was great and he was ready as he wanted that cup of coffee! GORRILLA FISHING at it�s finest!
5/1/4 Ahoy there one and all! We went salmon fishing today with an exclusive charter of ten people on board the RIPTIDE. Man these people brought enough food and drinks to take care of half the harbor!!
Upon pulling out this morning I could tell it was going to be one of those special kinds of days. The sunrise was grand and the seas, well what seas?? Was flat calm for our trip west of the harbor. When we reached about 13 miles west of the buoys I started to see the bait. This is the same area where we had been fishing earlier in the week. Slowing the boat down, the deckhands had the rods rigged and ready for the drop in. Deckhand Chris got the first line in the water for a customer and he barely had time to put the safety lanyard on it before it was pumping with a fish. First the one - then three. As fast as Zack and Chris could get the lines in they were getting bites!
I love total pandemonium! Controlled pandemonium, that is with people going over under around and through. The action was steady and it was difficult to keep a line in the water. We had our limits by about 8:30 for the customers. So we pulled all but three rods for the crew and started to tack towards the harbor. We kind of got out of the fish. But, that was ok as I was just giving them some time to eat the ton of food on board. We picked up the lines around 9:30 and started to head in with just a little breeze starting to come up out of the west which was fine as we were heading east, making for a great, fun-filled ride back to the harbor with 11 & 1/2 limits of salmon up to 23 pounds.
All in all, this was defiantly one of those special kind of days where everyone went from anticipation to thrilling rod bending, reel screeming and then joking eating and swapping a good yarn or two on the way back to the dock.
1/17/04 Ahoy there one and all! Here
is hoping that everyone has had a healthy and happy holiday season! We are looking forward to the 2004 year with great expectations! Both
the Whale Watching and Fishing should bring great opportunities for you
to enjoy the beautiful Pacific ocean The
rock fishing season has opened with the added benefit of fishing in deeper
waters! We
can fish part of the year out to 30 fathoms (180 feet). This came
from a lot of hard work and at
the PFMC meetings. As many of you know I attend many of these
meetings to try and represent your interests in keeping the ocean open
to fishing. There were many heated discussions and wide ranging
perspectives at these meetings. It
is difficult to try to work within the science that is available for use to
the PFMC Committees.
There is a mandate that they have to use the �best available Data�
even when acknowledging that the best available data does not represent what
is going
on in the real world. I think of it as the world of paper fish. Data collection
methods are undergoing a change this year and hopefully it will
be more representative of the real world of the ocean. As
a result of the Council�s decision to push everyone in on the beach this
past year they
are afraid of having a larger impact on these nearshore species. But there
is no available data showing what this will be. So without good data
available, they
guess as to which species were caught and then try to build upon it. This
is one of the reasons they wanted to let us fish in deeper water to allow more
opportunity for the fisherman. But
there is still the constraint of the protected species (canary, yellow eye,
etc) as
well as the �Near Near shore� species. So there will hopefully be more opportunities
in 04. But, that depends on the stock assessments which we have
not seen yet. Let�s keep our fingers crossed and Hope for the best. Islands
for rock fishing. Since the season is opened out to 30 fathoms (180
feet) I wanted to try fishing in areas that have been closed. I found
a little spot that I had all but forgotten. It started at 170 feet and
the peak came up to 155 and then dropped off to 180 before the bottom turned
soft. Seeing these fish in my new meter was a delight for me! My
new meter is so much more sensitive than my old one I was really impressed!
And apparently it did not lie - as the customers let their lines down
they were all stopped by some whopper yellows! Everyone was pumping on
their rods and reels working these fish back up. I tried throwing a bar
and was successful in getting through the schoolies. Shoot, I thought I
hung the bottom till the rod started the hard slow pumps. Ahhh, a toothy
one! Working it up to the surface and gaffing a nice 14 pound ling cod!
So I put down the rod and continued to help the passengers take off the fish
so they could get back
down. Let me tell you, I was sweating and I was just helping. After a
few more drifts we started counting and keeping track of the different species.
When we finished we started towards home while the deck hand got out
his knife and started filleting. When
all was said and done we had 15 limits of rock fish and keeper lings.
Since the weather was so calm the ride home was great and half the people were
sleeping after wearing themselves out catching those nice fish! So
you will excuse me now so I can go and help my self to a plate of FRESH Brownies!
Bon
appetite! Smitty
9/20/03 8/31/03 5/26/03
5/14/03 4/26-4/27/03
8/24/02 Ahoy there one and all! 7/19/02 Ahoy
there one and all! The
salmon fishing this year has really been fantastic. We have had a lot of wind
which I contribute to the overall quality of the salmon fishing. When the wind
blows so much it has the effect of keeping the surface waters cool and causing
more of the �upwelling� which brings the cold nutrient-rich waters from
the bottom up to the surface. This provides an abundant nutritional source of
krill, squid, and bait. Plus the wind helps keep these food sources here,
preventing the fish from swimming further north, thereby letting us fish
closer to home.
6/17/02 Ahoy there one and all!
This Was a Wild
Wacky Wonderful
Week of Whipping
everyone's butts! From Whacking
the fish and catching limits just about every day to Weather
that was kicking our butts with Wind
and Waves! It was some of the
best fishing of the year (so far)!
Sunday we headed home with 18 limits of salmon and the biggest fish was
21 lbs. The biggest fish of the week goes to an "OLD TIME"
regular who moved away and came back for a visit and to do some fishing! Gene
Gac caught his personel best fish which was 28 lbs!! Congratulations Gene!
On a more serious note. I have tried at least 5 times to write about the
recent developments in the GROUNDFISH FISHERY (rock fish). I am
attending the meetings this week in Foster City. Let me sum it up this way.
The rock fishing will be closed from 120 feet (20 fathoms) out to 600 feet
(100 fathoms). This is due to over fishing which has been allowed by the
management councils. I will try my best to give an accurate report on these
meetings and keep everyone abreast of what happens.
Hope there can be some good news but it does not look good for bottom fishing.
Stay tuned sports fans!
5/4/02
The best way to describe today is : YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE"!!
One of those grand days to be on the ocean and savor the wondrous experiences
of nature! From watching the Humpback whales frolic in the krill down to
the hot action to the krill fed fish it was EXCITING!
From the first five minuets of trolling we had a steady action with a few
double and triple headers thrown in. We lost a lot of fish but also
boated a great quality of fish. We then settled down to a steady pick of fish
for the rest of the day and ended the day with 33 fish for 16 anglers ( yes
the captain got to take one home too)!!
The weatherman was wrong again about today as I was on deck in my tee shirt (
this old boy was working up a sweat)! Small role to the sea and no wind to
speak of.
Gosh, I whish I could bottle this stuff!! I would be rich!!!
Tomorrow looks like another banner day as well!
Tight Lines!
3/30/02 1/14/02
9/5/01
Ahoy there one and all!
Well the holiday week is finally winding down for us on the RIPTIDE!
We have been busy fishing for Salmon, Rock fish & Tuna!
We had Mr. Peat Vandemulen who has been fishing out of the bay
area for over 50 years! Not bad for a gentleman who is 90 years old!
Generally the salmon fishing has been good with some big fish mixing things up and making everyone wonder what will bight there hook next!
Our last tuna trip was down in the Monterey canyon. The fish have since
started to move back up towards the "601" spot. There has been
some mixed scores on the tuna and everyone has been coming home with some fish
that are of a good grade! One fish that i heard of was over 40 lbs!
The rock fishing has been Steady with a lot of nice Cabazone's & Lings
mixed in with some great rock fish! The costal reefs are some of my favorite
places to fish!
This is actually the nicest time of the year to be on the ocean as it is
generally our best weather!
This is the time of the year i really enjoy being out there!
Hope to see you soon with a rod!
8/20/01
Ahoy there one and all!
We had a fine weekend of fishing! On Friday we had a small group of regulars
for rock fishing and stayed close to the coast. The fishing was a steady pick
of fish all morning and ended up with limits of rock fish. On Saturday we had
a salmon charter. A group of 15 of the nicest people! 50% women and men. I
must say that the women out fished the guys (again)! We ended up wit 14 salmon
for the group fishing off of Muscle rock. On Sunday we went out to some deeper
waters where i know no one has been fishing for rock fish and we had a great
day. We ended up with 13 limits of Rock fish and 7 real nice ling cod!
We also shook a bucket full of smaller ling cod and everyone had fun !
I was worried about the weather as it has come up big time on the outside.
Which kept the tuna boats close to the shore fishing for either salmon or rock
fish. There has been some nice salmon caught again right in front of our
harbor!
Overall it was another good weekend for the local fishing!
Till next time!
8/3/01
Ahoy there one and all!
We were salmon fishing today aboard the RIPTIDE and it
was a GRAND DAY! We trolled along Pacifica with great results - the salmon bit
one at a time all day with an occasional double! The group we had on the boat
were very cooperative - working together. Because of the cooperation we
had a great success rate for the day with 24 salmon (customer limits plus 2
fish for the crew) for the day with an average size of 11 lbs - the
biggest was 19 lbs. We even had another salmon following next to one that was
on the hook! It was bigger than the one we had on the hook! But, it did not
get close enough for me to try to net.
The weather was good with a slight breeze (5 to 7 knots)
and there was not much of a swell so there were no upset tummies!
It is great to see the salmon coming into the beach!!
This past week saw some really great tuna scores with one
boat reporting 52 tuna. Today the reports were up to 20 fish per boat
for the high score.
Coastal rock fishing has been consistent with scratch
fishing all day leading up to limits of nice rock fish and a few ling cod
mixed in.
Till next time!
Capt. Smitty 7/1/01
6/16/01
It is hard to believe the year is half over! We are hopefully
moving into our "Summer mode". This is the time of the year when the
rock fishing picks up. We have been fishing in the shallows for almost two
months. Saturday was no exception. We were fishing off the area now dubbed
"FISHING AT THE RITZ'!! This is an area that used to be called
"Three Rocks" (for the obvious reasons) which is just a few
miles below the harbor. The fishing has been a slow scratch in the morning and
would usually pick up in the afternoon. The previous day was the same when we ran
down to Pescadero and had a very slow start. Both days we did catch limits of
rock fish for just about everyone including the ones who were (how do I put
this delicately?) "under the weather" even though the weather was
great! Nice sunny days and not much of a breeze along the beach. There was a
swell due to the wind in the north and off shore.
There were also a lot of "Ling cod"! We still cannot
keep them until July first! We must have shook at least a dozen or more of
them! We had one that was holding on to a rock fish and would not let it go!
He had to be 15 lbs! And as stubborn as the "Captain"!!! Everyone is
eagerly awaiting the opening of the season on July first! But, until the
First, all we can do is admire their ugliness from the deck and not on
our plates!
Tight lines!
5-26-01 Ahoy there one and all! 5-10-2001 This is a report from one
of my good customers Jim Krauss! I thought i might share this with
everyone! May 7,2001
April 16, 2001 Ahoy there one and all!!!
March 31, 2001
Today was opening day of salmon season below Pigeon Point. Wow! What a fantastic opener! By 10 a.m. we had 16 limits of salmon with the biggest fish coming in at about 15 lbs. All of the fish were shrimp fed which means they were wild and woolly in their fight and bite � very scrappy fish! The weather was not as good as the fishing with 15-20 knots of breeze and an 8 ft sea � There is something about catching a fish that makes the weather get better! Everybody on the boat had a great day of
fishing and we look forward to a fantastic season. We ended our season last year
on closing day with 16 limits and we are opening our season this year with 16
limits! Let�s hope the fishing stays at such a great level throughout the
entire season. Riptide is still taking reservations for both open load and
private charter dates. Call us at 888-747-8433 to book your next trip! January 27,2001 Ahoy there one and all! Capt. Smitty January 13, 2001 Ahoy there!
Ahoy there one and all!
November 4, 2000 Over the past two weeks I was privileged to attend Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meetings in Portland OR and Vancouver WA. The Portland sessions were the ad hoc allocation committee meeting focusing primarily on the reduction of the canary rockfish harvest. At the Vancouver meetings PFMC was responsible for adopting the year 2001 fishing regulations for the California Recreational Fishery. These meetings establish the guidelines that all three states (CA, OR, WA) must adopt. For California, these regulations will come before the California Fish & Game Commission for approval at their meeting on December 7th and 8th in Eureka. The regulations are summarized below:
The limit is 10 rockfish (a 20 fish aggregatebag limit) all year but of the right species and at the right time and in the right location (see regulations above). The rules are very specific and must be followed carefully by all anglers. The canary, boccacio and lingcod are "shelf" fish and are the species with specific quotas. When the quotas are reached the season WILL CLOSE FOR ROCK FISHING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR.
I came away from the meetings feeling that they are very well organized and I was provided ample opportunity to contribute public comment, participate in sub committee and ad hoc committee meetings, and had access to the many volumes of research provided to the Commission. My public comments included my own statements as well as those provided to me for presentation by the Monterey Bay Sportfishing Assn. and the Noyo Harbor (Ft. Bragg) Sportfishing Assn. In addition, I presented a prepared statement from 30 other commercial passenger vessels and seven bait shops. This latter group was an ad hoc group brought together through the efforts of representatives from all Bay Area harbors.
Rebuilding Plans for Canary Rockfish and Cowcod This one agenda item consumed an entire day with reports from committees and agencies. At the ad hoc allocation committee meeting (Portland) it was determined that the canary catch for 2001 would be reduced to 60 tons. This 60 tons represents a hardship to both commercial and recreational fishing. Upon consideration by the Council, the total allowable canary rockfish catch will be 93 tons. This number is further broken down to 44 tons for the recreational and 44 tons for the commercial; with 5 tons in reserve for research vessels to catch. This 44 tons for recreational is further divided up between California (26 tons), Oregon (16 tons) and Washington (2 tons) This reduction to 26 tons canary rockfish is the driving force behind our season closures and reduction of limits. This is just the second year of a rebuilding plan that will take 40 to 120 years. During the proceedings, Mr. L. B Boydston, Director of Inter-Governmental Affairs directed both recreational representatives present, Darby Neil from Virges Landing(Morro Bay) and William Smith from Riptide Sportfishing (Half Moon Bay) to attend committee meetings made up of the groundfish advisory members and commercial fishermen. This was a difficult committee to work in as the commercial fishermen are fighting for their rights to catch enough fish to survive. After several consultations with the scientists to try and massage the numbers we crafted a way for most of us to keep our businesses alive. This was a difficult process and the clear winner was the recreational fisherman.
Additional Items – State Regulations: There are 3 more species that are going to have to be dealt with on the state level. They are cabazon, greenling/seatrout and sheepshead. These fish stocks are in bad shape. The PFMC has chosen to let the State of California deal with these specific nearshore species so be on the lookout for regulations coming from California DFG on these three species. In California we have what is called an "aggregate bag limit" (combination of different species). That limit is 20 fish overall – for instance: 10 rockfish and 10 cabezon; or 2 ling, 9 rockfish and 9 cabezon; or any combination not to exceed 20 (with lings always only a maximum of 2 and rockfish at a maximum of 10). Because of the depleted status of these fish (cabezon, greenling and sheepshead) we know that their allowable numbers are going to change. All of the literature and research indicate that the fish stocks are declining and that the time it takes some of these fish to mature and spawn is over15 years. This is coupled with the fact that a lot of fish only spawn when the water is cold. As you can see, the establishment of fishing regulations is a very complex issue that has many factors to consider. Only through education and understanding will we be able to save the fishery for our children to enjoy.
Captain William E. Smith Ahoy there! Well this was just another lazy summer day here on the ocean! This is typically our best weather time of the year, and today was no exception to it! And to top it off the salmon fishing today was to put it into one word "FANTASTIC"!! We trolled up by the channel buoys today and had tremendous action! A steady one at a time with a few doubles sprinkled in for good measure. The quality of the fish was great! We had probably 6 fish over the 20 lb mark today! With the total of 14 limits ( 28 fish). Everyone had a shot at some fine fishing today and everyone will have a refrigerator full of salmon tonight! Tomorrow it will be out to deep reef for some rock fishing! Tight Lines 10/3/00 Ahoy there! We were Salmon fishing along the Duxbury area of Marin today. What a grand day for everyone! Even the captain had a great birthday aboard the boat!The weather was every bit good as the fishing! We had a problem with keeping alot of them on the hook! But we persevered in landing limits (8) and the biggest was aprox.26 lbs. The fish were hard fighting and gave everyone a hard battle before finally coming to the net. This was one of my best groups that fish with me every month and this was there last salmon trip of the year. What a send out for Pete and company! 9/30/00 Ahoy there! We were rock fishing on Saturday at the deep reef. We had some wind and seas. But we persevered and ended up with 15 limits of rock fish. There was one keeper ling cod. Tight Lines 9/23/00 Ahoy there !! We were "Shallow Water Light Tackle" Rock Fishing today! It was so nice to have the weather be so very nice and allow everyone the ability to catch some very nice fish today!We had a few regulars on the boat and they all did very well with them all catching either a nice ling cod or a cabbie or some nice rock fish. We ended up fishing down along the Pescadero area. We ended the day with 15 limits (150 fish) of rock fish, With 35 Cabbies & two Ling cod ( up to 12 lbs)! The fish were not interested in the scampi's 9 rubber tails) and the bars were working but, you had to be aggressive with them. The best thing to work were the "Super Flys"! It Was such a nice day for everyone! Now for the cooking of these great fish for dinner tonight mmm I am salivating just getting a whiff of them starting to cook! Time to go and help the cook! Tight Lines! 9/10/00 Ahoy there one and all! What a beautiful day on the ocean today!!!! Days like this are what keeps me in the business! The ocean was flat calm with just a little hint of a swell. We fished off of Rocky Point today and had a fish box full of whoppers! Our biggest was 25 lbs and there were two 24 pounders as well as the rest being nice fish over 10 lbs. (the captain took home the littlest which was 24 "). There are not enough superlatives to describe how nice of a day it was today!! So, when we got underway for home, we had 16 salmon for a total of 8 people (including the captain and mate) and the biggest was 25 lbs! I just hope this weather holds through the weekend as I am running for tuna on Friday!! Till next time! 8/27/00 Ahoy there! We were trolling along the muscle rock area again today. The wind started to kick up out of the south which made for a bumpy role to the ocean. But, We still persevered and had a good day. We ended up the day with 16 salmon and the biggest was 33 lbs. What a whopper!! there were alot of other boats trolling in the area and there were some other slugs caught! I heard one boat whopping it up over a 39 ponder that was caught at muscle rock!! Hopefully we can get the wind to abate and let us have a good week! Now there is a novel concept!!! This is the year of the wind! Last year from July on we were in tee shirts most of the time! Lets see if i can still fit into my bikini! Capt. Smitty
Ahoy there!! Well we had another banner day aboard the RIPTIDE!!! WE CAUGHT 16 LIMITS ( 32 SALMON)! Which is limits for the passengers and the crew!!! Our biggest fish was 18 lbs but we had a pair of them! And also had three more over 15 lbs!! Fishing (trolling) along the Muscle rock area was a little bouncy today . But the weather was a 100% better than yesterday.I cancled our trip yesterday due to the nasty weather. I just hope the rest of the weekend will be like today! Tight Lines 8/17/00 Ahoy there one and all, Well we trolled again today off of the Muscle rock area and we were very fortunate to catch 13 limits of salmon ( 26 fish) and the biggest was 14 lbs. The wind and seas are building and tomorrow we might see more of each!This has been one heck of a year in regards to the wind. I have been working on boats out of the bay area for over 25 years and i cannot remember a year where there has been so much wind. The wind at the Farrallone islands today was blowing in the 20's again! This is making it difficult to even try to do any scouting for tuna! Hopefully it will calm down after this blow passes through! Tight Lines!! 8/12/00 Ahoy there!! Reporting for the F/V Riptide on Saturday August 12th - Today was a "Shallow Water Light Tackle" rock fishing charter! Boy, did everyone have fun! The fish were cooperative and everyone was scrapping with some aggressive Blacks & Blues. The bottom dwelling rock fish were also on the snap! We even had alot of Cabezone (10 keepers up to 15 lbs!)! The Ling Cod also made a good showing of themselves with 4 being kept (with many shakers coming in at 25 and 25 1/2").The biggest Ling of the day was 17 lbs. They were quite alot of fun! We fished south of the harbor today between San Gregorio and Bean Hollow.There was a small roll to the sea but no breeze. The water was dark but clear which was good for fishing! So the final tally for the day was: 19 Limits of rock fish, 10 Cabezone ( biggest
15lbs) & 4 Ling cod (biggest 17lbs.)! Weather conditions were 15-22 knots at the Islands with wind chop but not much sea; wind on the reef started wtih 8-10 knots and increased to 12-15 as the day went on. Rock fishing was good on the reef for those that fished and worked their gear but we did have some customers with upset tummies. About midday we moved back into the beach for calmer waters - when we did the fish were very cooperative. Riptide ended up with 15 limits of rockfish for 15 anglers. There were no keeper ling cod that made it on board although opportunities were had via piggy backs! 7/29/00 I look forward to conditions changing so we can switch to mooching as I also enjoy that type of fishing! Will keep you posted! 7/26/00 Ahoy there! We had a rolly start to our day of fishing along Pacifica today but we ended up with 16 Salmon Up to 29 lbs for 13 anglers.Weather looked to be improving and hope it does for the rest of the week! 7/23/00 Ahoy there! We fished for salmon today and we trolled off of Muscle rock. We had a great day with 28 salmon for 18 anglers and the biggest was 17 lbs. There was alot of action when we first dropped in and there was instant fish! The bait ball was up in the shallows ( 20 to 40 feet of water). And every pass was resulting in hookups! We did well till all of the boats came in and from sheer #'s the bait and fish dissipated but not before everyone on board had there share of action!!We then continued to catch fish sporadically for the rest of the day. Everyone went home with great anticipation of a salmon dinner and a big smile on there face! It is always heart warming to me when the customers all come up and tell me they had a great day on the ocean and look forward to returning to the RIPTIDE again for another ocean experience!!And now i shall clean all of the scales off of me and get ready for tomorrows action! Tight Lines Capt. Smitty June 25th,2000 Tight Lines! June 23,24th, 2000 Saturday was a repeat preformance with 12 limits aboard for a small charter. There have been some whoppers caught here locally. There was a certified 44 lb fish caught earlier in the week!! Still the trollers are outfishing the moochers two to one. So we are still trolling and having a ball! Tight Lines!
June 8th,2000 June 4th,2000 May 28th, 2000 May 24th, 2000 This was just another great day in "PARADISE!" May 22nd,2000 Ahoy there!! May 20th,2000 Ahoy there! May 13th, 2000 May 10th,2000 May 9th,2000 We officially started our rock fishing season today! Boy what a beautiful day it was too! The weather finally stopped blowing (did one of you finally turned off the fan?)! There was a swell but no breeze! The drift today on the deep reef was just about perfect for bottom fishing. On the other hand, the fish were not extremely cooperative. The customers who were aggressive in working their gear ended up catching limits of very good quality fish including a lot of canaries, vermillions and coppers. We shook a number of undersized ling cod. We ended up covering the whole lower portion of the reef and when all was said and done most of our customers ended up with nice fish. We had only a very few school fish for the day. One blue and four olives. The final tally on the Riptide was 120 rock fish for 17 anglers. Considering the quality of the fish was a good day even though we fell a little short of limits. Now if I can just find the glue to to put on that fan switch!!! (Copyright 1998-2015 Riptide Sportfishing All rights reserved) |
